George W. Bush: Drill more to lower gas prices (Bush proves again he's smarter than Obama)

politico ^ | 4/27/2011 | JENNIFER EPSTEIN

[tobyhill]

Former President George W. Bush wants to see more oil drilling to combat prices at the gas pump that are nearing $4 a gallon, he said Wednesday.

“I would suggest Americans understand how supply and demand works. And if you restrict supplies of crude, the price of oil is going to go up and it affects gasoline,” Bush said on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” before telling host George Stephanopoulos that he’s not too interested in talking about policy or politics.

[KantianBurke]

“Bush DID push for opening ANWR, but the dems in the senate filibustered the bill that would have opened it up.”

ROTFLMAO!

Yeah Dubya made a push for that - in the sumemr of 08 when the GOP no longer controlled Congress and he knew damn well that such proposals would go nowhere with the Presidential race going on. Now here’s a question for you - why no concerted push for passage of ANWR or Florida coastal drilling made from 02 - 06? You know, during the time the GOP controlled by legislative branches.

[hosepipe]

[ When Bush lifted the moratorium on offshore drilling, oil prices dropped from $147 a barrel to $38 a barrel but Obama is too stupid or too crazy to think of that one. ]

OR high oil prices IS THE PLAN!..

[VRWCmember]

ROTFLMAO!

Yeah Dubya made a push for that - in the sumemr of 08 when the GOP no longer controlled Congress and he knew damn well that such proposals would go nowhere with the Presidential race going on. Now here’s a question for you - why no concerted push for passage of ANWR or Florida coastal drilling made from 02 - 06? You know, during the time the GOP controlled by legislative branches.

I'm glad that your are so easily enticed to uncontrollable laughter. Once you regain your composure, check out some of these news stories:

Friday, August 3, 2001
Senate Democrats Vow to Sink Bush's Artic Drilling Plan
(This was after the GOP House had passed the bill implementing Bush's proposal to open up ANWR)

How about April 18, 2002
Senate Kills ANWR Drilling Proposal

Republican senators fall well short of the votes needed to keep alive a proposal to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northern Alaska. Thursday's vote all but assures that ANWR oil exploration won't be a part of the energy bill sent to President Bush. View a map of the area and a photo gallery of some wild ANWR inhabitants

April 18, 2002, 1:26 p.m. EDT
ANWR drilling supporters lose vote
Bid to end Democratic filibuster defeated

The White House expressed disappointment. ANWR drilling was a cornerstone of President Bush's national energy plan.

"At a time when oil and gas prices are rising, the Senate today missed an opportunity to lead America to greater energy independence," said White House spokesman Ari Fleischer. "The president will continue to fight for the tens of thousands of jobs that are created by opening ANWR, as well as -- more importantly -- for the need for America to be able to achieve more energy independence that would result from opening ANWR.

Here's one from December 2005:
U.S. Senate blocks drilling in Alaskan wildlife refuge

The administration of U.S. President George W. Bush had manoeuvered to open the refuge to drilling by including the motion in a wartime defence spending bill.

But Democratic senators, backed by some Republicans, threatened to filibuster the defence bill over the drilling issue.

In a Senate vote on Wednesday , the Republicans fell four votes short of the 60 votes they needed to avoid the filibuster.

So, in summary, in just a few minutes with a Google search, I found news articles from 2001, 2002, and 2005 recounting the efforts by Bush as a central part of his national energy policy to open up ANWR for drilling, with proposals approved by the House, and with adequate GOP votes in the Senate to pass but blocked by democrat filibusters. If you're done laughing, you might want to reconsider your assertion that Bush made no push for drilling in ANWR from 02 to 06.

[KantianBurke]

Ah. A google search. Well since you were thoughtful enough to do a little snooping, I’ll gladly respond.

“Friday, August 3, 2001”
The GOP did not control the Senate thanks to turncoat RINO Jim Jeffords. Thus, as I pointed out earlier, such a proposal was a waste of time. My contention covered the period when the GOP DID have control and yet nothing got through.

“How about April 18, 2002”
How about see above. Such legislative kabuki offerings might excite loyalty to the GOP for you but they only demonstrate cynical “bloody shirt waving” for votes to me.

“Here’s one from December 2005:”
Now we’re getting somewhere. So at that point the GOP is in charge, Bush has been re-elected. What could possibly hold up ANWR drilling? Oh wait - here’s why: per your article the GOP attempted the rather lame trick of burying the proposal in an omnibus bill. And when called out on it, did Bush make any speeches urging its passage? Did he aggresively stump for drilling? After all he had the ready made example of prices spiking after Hurricane Katrina knocked out our refineries. So did he? No. He let the bill die. They folded. And Bush did nothing further till it was politically impossible to enact change. Again he viewed ANWR drilling then, as the GOP does now, as a useful stick to beat the Rats with at election time. But to ever expend political capital on? Fuggehtaboutit.

BTW, you conviently make no mention of Bush calling for drilling off the coast of Florida. What a oversight on the strategery thinking of Dubya. Must have been him valuing is brother Jeb’s electoral viability as Governor of Florida over demanding a true indepedant energy policy.